1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in dump type vehicles and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved apparatus for opening and closing the doors of a bottom dump vehicle and for distribution of the load carried by the dump body for equalization of the loading of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Extremely large, off-highway dump vehicles are becoming increasingly important in the mining industry and large construction industry, and the like, for transporting great quantities of materials in a single load. Many of these vehicles are of the rear dump type wherein the dump body is tilted in order to discharge the contents thereof. Considering the weight of these large quantities of cargo, it is frequently difficult to provide a practical rear dump type vehicle without unduly increasing the overall cost of the vehicle and utilize substantially great quantities of material in the construction thereof. Consequently, it has become increasingly desirable to utilize a bottom dump type vehicle wherein the doors are provided on the bottom of the dump body and may be opened and closed for discharging the contents of the dump body. Here again, problems arise because of the extreme size of these vehicles and the volume of material and weight of material handled thereby. It is difficult to open and close the bottom dump doors in a synchronized manner to provide any efficiency in the dumping operation. In addition, it is difficult to maintain any kind of stability for the operation of the vehicle itself if the contents of the dump body are not substantially equally distributed therein, and control of the loading of the material into the bottom dump type vehicle is difficult.